Parivara: Story of a Family

9 : The Request

Divya was lounging in the pavilion with her mother when Payal joined them.

"Where have you been, young lady?" Maa asked lazily.

"In the village," Payal replied nonchalantly, sitting back to soak in the sun. Then she said a bit pointedly, "With Abhay."

"His majesty," Maa corrected with a surprised voice. "Or at least King Abhay."

"But Maa," Payal said as innocently as she could muster, "He insists I call him simply Abhay."

"What a polite brother-in-law," Maa commented, and Divya had to stop herself from snorting at Payal's snarling face. Then Maa continued, "You should be the one going out with him, Divya. Spend some time with him. Remember what we talked about?"

Divya bowed her head and didn't reply, and Payal knew exactly what Maa was talking about. She smirked and sat back again, satisfied with the turn of events.

"Excuse me, my girls. I have to go tell the cooks the menu for tonight's dinner." Maa stood and left, accompanied by her guards and ladies. The two sisters sat quietly, an omnipresent awkwardness about them. But of course, the quiet wouldn't last long.

"Why don't you spend more time with your husband?" Payal asked nonchalantly. "Did he not visit your bedchambers last night?"

Divya kept her head bowed, but her heart thundered in her chest at the thought of what did happen in her bedchambers last night. Instead, she retorted, "I should be asking you why you're spending so much time with my husband?"

"Why?" Payal asked, her smirk still on her face. "Scared I could give him something you cannot?"

"You be the one who is scared," Divya looked up, her eyes blazing. "Giving him that requires you giving up your honor. If you have any."

Payal sat forward, catching Divya's eyes with hers. She stared her older sister down, irises burning with hatred. "I am scared of nothing. And if you're so worried about my honor, you should talk to your husband about it."

With that, Payal stood and left the pavilion, her bangles and anklets tinkling as she flounced off. Divya took a deep breath and closed her eyes, regaining her composure. Let Payal do what she wants, Divya thought. That girl is all smoke, no fire. No harm will come from it.

***

"Put the veil over my head," Aditi told her maids, and they complied right away. She was trying on the new lehenga she would wear for that night's dinner party, a creamy white skirt and blouse with heavy embroidery. It was beautiful, and the jewelry that came with it was just as beautiful. Aditi looked into her mirror, admiring the view and feeling pretty, like her sisters.

From outside her window, a whistle pierced the air above the whistles of the birds. It was obviously a human whistle, and the tune that was whistled sent a shiver down Aditi's spine. It was Vishu's secret signal.

"Disperse," Aditi told her maids. They all obligingly left the room, bowing as they did. Aditi ran over to her window and looked outside. Sure enough, Vishu stood out there. He stepped closer to the window so they were directly in front of each other. "Yes?"

"You're looking pretty, your majesty." Vishu told her, smiling cheekily.

"Your majesty?" Aditi asked, her face scrunching up. "Since when do you call me that?"

"Since you don't know what I am to you," Vishu responded easily, his face still smirking. Aditi bowed her head, embarrassed. She heard Vishu chuckle, and looked up and directly into his eyes. His chucking immediately ceased and Vishu brought a hand up to lightly caress Aditi's face. The caress again made Aditi feel fluttery, and she couldn't help but remember the kisses they'd shared in the field. Vishu's lips on hers...the thought heightened her tingles. "Hey. You really look beautiful."

All Aditi could do was look into his eyes and smile as thanks. Vishu smiled back and dropped his hand, much to Aditi's dismay. She noticed he was bringing something out from behind his back. It was a small, blue jewelry box, old and withered but still pretty.

"What's that?" Aditi asked him. Vishu smiled before handing the box to her. Aditi looked at him questioningly before opening the jewelry box. Inside was a brooch, a round one made of gold with pearls and rubies embedded into it. It wasn't as glamorous or valuable as the jewels Aditi and her family wore, but it wasn't very cheap either. "What is this?"

"A secret," Vishu told her, smiling down at the brooch with misty eyes. "My father gave this to my mother while he was seducing her. When she gave birth to me, and decided she couldn't keep me, she left me in a basket with a letter for my father telling him I was his son, and this brooch. It's the only thing I have of my parents."

"I'm sorry, Vishu." Aditi whispered. Vishu hardly ever talked about his past before he came to the palace. When he did, he only spoke about it with Aditi, his closest confidante. But even then, he never said much about it. Aditi knew it was a sore topic for him.

"It's alright." Vishu whispered back. Then he smiled and told her brightly, "You can help me, in a way."

"Kaise (How?)?" Aditi squinted at him, still holding the brooch in her palm.

"Wear the brooch tonight," Vishu replied. "Please. You don't have to if you don't want to, but it would mean a lot. I always pictured giving this to someone who meant to me what my mother meant to my father, at least at that time. You're the only one I could ever imagine giving it to," Vishu bowed his head, blushing slightly. Aditi smiled at his bashfulness, but dropped the smile before he looked up so he wouldn't see.

"And if I don't wear it?"

"Then you've made your choice," Vishu told her. "And I'll know that I mean only a friend to you. But if you wear it, which I hope you do, I'll know that you feel for me what I feel for you. Or, at least, you want to find out what we do feel for each other."

Aditi looked at him and he looked back, the two of them silent. All Aditi could think about was kissing him again. The way their lips melded together was something she'd never experienced before. But she also thought about the consequences of the kiss. He was a bastard under her father's care; a relationship between them was impossible.

As Aditi mulled this over, Vishu leaned in and have her a kiss on her cheek. Slow, sweet, and teasing. "Just think about it," he whispered in her ear before leaning back out the window and then walking away.

Aditi looked down at the brooch, turning it over in her hand. The choice was simple, either wear the brooch or do not. But what the choice meant was so much more complex, no matter what she picked. Aditi went back into her room and sat in front of her vanity. She put the brooch down onto her vanity and stared at it. She struggled with the decision, but Aditi could feel one thought push it's way to the forefront of her thoughts: the choice is clear.